samhexum

Guests can get paid $3,500 to stay at a St. Louis hotel for up to 12 days with catered meals, as long as they sign up to be exposed to the flu virus. A St. Louis University research unit is testing the effectiveness of flu vaccines by paying volunteers to stay at its Salus Center, formerly the Water Tower Inn, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Participants will be given a flu shot or a placebo, and then receive a dose of a flu virus through nasal spray. The volunteers will then be observed for flu symptoms, such as fever, runny nose, sneezing or coughing. The Extended Stay Research Unit will repeatedly test participants' blood and mucus for signs of the virus. The university spent about $350,000 to convert 24 hotel rooms at the Salus Center into a quarantined medical unit, equipped with reading nooks and game tables for socializing. The "human challenge" unit is one of only a few across the world that's designed to test vaccines or treatments on people after exposing them to a disease. Daniel Hoft, director of the university's Center for Vaccine Development, said "you can learn a lot more, a lot faster" about whether vaccines work to prevent infection by controlling the study environment. The 2017-18 flu season was one of the most severe on record. About 134,000 infections and 279 deaths were reported in Missouri. The seasonal flu shot was between 10 and 15 percent effective against the strains, Hoft said. "The real question for me ethically is, if you're not benefiting people, you have to be careful about not harming them too much, and they know what they are getting into and are freely choosing it," said Stephanie Solomon Cargill, an associate professor of health care ethics at the university. "You wouldn't want to expose someone to a permanent illness with no cure." The center is designed to meet standards for preventing the spread of tuberculosis, said Hoft. "We're doing everything we possibly can to be as safe as possible," he said.

Guests can get paid $3,500 to stay at a St. Louis hotel for up to 12 days with catered meals, as long as they sign up to be exposed to the flu virus. A St. Louis University research unit is testing the effectiveness of flu vaccines by paying volunteers to stay at its Salus Center, formerly the Water Tower Inn, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Participants will be given a flu shot or a placebo, and then receive a dose of a flu virus through nasal spray. The volunteers will then be observed for flu symptoms, such as fever, runny nose, sneezing or coughing. The Extended Stay Research Unit will repeatedly test participants' blood and mucus for signs of the virus. The university spent about $350,000 to convert 24 hotel rooms at the Salus Center into a quarantined medical unit, equipped with reading nooks and game tables for socializing. The "human challenge" unit is one of only a few across the world that's designed to test vaccines or treatments on people after exposing them to a disease. Daniel Hoft, director of the university's Center for Vaccine Development, said "you can learn a lot more, a lot faster" about whether vaccines work to prevent infection by controlling the study environment. The 2017-18 flu season was one of the most severe on record. About 134,000 infections and 279 deaths were reported in Missouri. The seasonal flu shot was between 10 and 15 percent effective against the strains, Hoft said. "The real question for me ethically is, if you're not benefiting people, you have to be careful about not harming them too much, and they know what they are getting into and are freely choosing it," said Stephanie Solomon Cargill, an associate professor of health care ethics at the university. "You wouldn't want to expose someone to a permanent illness with no cure." The center is designed to meet standards for preventing the spread of tuberculosis, said Hoft. "We're doing everything we possibly can to be as safe as possible," he said.

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Jackson Odell, 'The Goldbergs' actor, dead at 20 Jackson Odell, known best as Ari Caldwell on "The Goldbergs," was found dead at his home Friday.

The Eurovision Song Contest Semi-Final on May 12, 2004, saw the world première of a new ABBA video, Our Last Video Ever. In this exclusive interview for ABBA – The Site, director Calle Åstrand shared the secrets of the video that brought a doll-size version of ABBA to 100 million television screens across the world. Telling a story Over the years, ABBA’s role in pioneering the art of the rock video has been thoroughly documented. It wasn’t until the early 1980s that the production of promo clips became a standard music industry practice – by which time ABBA had already made more than 30 such films, and were about to go their separate ways. And now, 22 years after ABBA’s last official promo clip – for the ’Under Attack’ single – the four dolls in ’Our Last Video Ever’ bring an unexpected conclusion to ABBA’s illustrious rock video history. ’Our Last Video Ever’ is more than a regular music video: with its simple but effective plot, it takes the shape of a short film. Indeed, the challenge of not doing an ordinary music video, but getting the chance to tell a story, gave director Calle Åstrand the idea for making the video in the first place. Åstrand has a background in advertising and is the director of several award-winning commercials. Over the past few years, he has complemented this experience with writing and directing television series for Swedish television. The idea for the ABBA video came to Calle Åstrand three years ago, during a conversation with a friend. ”He asked me why I had never made a rock video. I had done all those commercials and a TV series, so it would have been natural to try that as well. But I always felt rock videos were uninteresting – you just see the artists miming in front of a camera and I’m more interested in telling a story. ’But if you had the chance to tell a story in a rock video, which band would you choose?’ I replied that it would have to be a group like The Beatles or ABBA, or perhaps The Doors. He asked me if I wouldn’t consider choosing a band that was still active! But I said no.” Doll idea However, the seeds for an idea had been sown. If you were to do a brand new video with a band that doesn’t exist anymore, how on earth would you go about it? A week later, Calle Åstrand found himself on a location shoot in Prague and happened to pass by a shop-window. That’s where he came upon the solution to his problem. ”There were dolls in that shop-window, which made me think, ’Why not build a story around a doll version of one of those groups?’” Åstrand decided that ABBA would be the group most suitable for such a treatment, and contacted Björn Ulvaeus. The former ABBA member liked the idea, but asked the director to develop it a bit further. After some fine-tuning of the concept, Åstrand had come up with a story that featured the ABBA dolls seeking a record contract, auditioning their songs at the offices of a slimy record company mogul. Björn gave his approval and arranged a meeting with Universal Music, the owners of the ABBA catalogue. Naturally, the other three former ABBA members were also informed about the idea. They were sent an outline of the video story and immediately gave the project their full support. However, despite their enthusiasm, it was to take a long time before all the practical issues surrounding the production had been resolved. For instance, when would be the right time to present this video to the world? Eventually, the answer became self-evident: the spring of 2004, upon the occasion of the 30th anniversary of ABBA’s Eurovision Song Contest victory with ’Waterloo’. Meanwhile, Calle Åstrand was considering which songs to feature in the video. The original idea was to string together a number of familiar ABBA hits in a medley. ”The selection process wasn’t easy, because there are so many good tunes. But finally I had a shortlist of 10 songs, which I showed to Björn to get his opinion, and then we managed to get it down to four songs. I wanted ’Take A Chance On Me’, because that fits the story. The record company felt that ’Dancing Queen’ should be included, since it’s the most popular ABBA song. ’Waterloo’ was self-evident, because of the 30th anniversary. And then we had ’The Winner Takes It All’, which would also be good for the story.” ABBA cameos Once the songs had been selected, Björn and Benny pointed out a problem with putting them all into a medley: they were all in different tempos and different keys. ”The solution was to feature dialogue between the songs and make use of the different environments in the film,” recalls Calle Åstrand. ”Björn arranged for me to attend a performance of the Mamma Mia! musical in London, so that I could see how they had solved it.” In Mamma Mia! the dialogue leads almost seamlessly into the songs, which inspired Åstrand to try a similar approach for his manuscript. ”I read through each and every Abba lyric to find phrases that we could use as lines of dialogue. Björn also contributed a few ideas; his best was ’I do, I do, I do, I do, I do’.” The dolls in the film were created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. The late Jim Henson was of course the brain behind the muppets used in Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. Today, his groundbreaking puppet work lives on in the company that bears his name. British comedian Rik Mayall, who sprang to fame in the 1980s television series The Young Ones, plays the record company mogul. The live cast otherwise consists of Swedish actors, most of whom are very famous in their home country. Shooting of the main scenes took place in March 2004, at Independent Studios, south of Stockholm. “It was especially convenient to do the filming in a place that wasn’t too centrally located; it made it easier to keep the project a secret,” notes Calle Åstrand. Björn, Benny and Agnetha all visited the studios to film their cameo parts in the video. However, Frida was unable to fit a Stockholm visit into her schedule at the time of the main filming, so her scenes were shot in London in April, around the time of the celebrations for the 5th anniversary of the Mamma Mia! musical. But with the aid of a little technical trickery, Agnetha and Frida are actually seen together in the same shot – the first such picture to reach the public in almost two decades. ‘Our Last Video Ever’ otherwise marks the first time that all four members appear in the same film since the 1999 documentary The Winner Takes It All – The ABBA Story. Laughs allowed Other cameo contributions in the video come from some very famous names. “Björn thought it would be fun to have a few more ‘extras’ in the film, other than the ABBA members themselves, watching the band’s audition for the record company boss,” explains Calle Åstrand. The result was that we now see Cher and infamous Iron Maiden “member”, Eddie – himself a doll – in the video. The biggest technical challenge to the filmmakers was figuring out how to make vintage footage of the “real” ABBA interact with the dolls and the live actors. A scene of the ABBA members standing in an elevator, extracted from their 1977 film ABBA – The Movie, was used for this purpose. However, no clean shot of just the four members was available. “The actor who played the Australian reporter in the movie was in each and every scene, so we had to remove him, which was incredibly difficult. Also, we had to match the quality of the film stock used in those days with the picture quality of today.” But those difficulties were indeed overcome, and after an intense editing period, ‘Our Last Video Ever’ was finally ready to be screened. Throughout the making of the film, everybody involved were keen to maintain a spirit of irreverent fun – not least the former ABBA members themselves. Says Calle Åstrand, “When Agnetha saw what her own doll looked like, she laughed and said, ‘I look like Miss Piggy!’ She thought that was a lot of fun. And Frida was delighted when we showed her what we had filmed so far.” The male half of the group was just as keen about this light-hearted approach. “One of the first things Björn and Benny said was, ‘The film mustn’t be pretentious. Make sure that it’s fun and tongue-in-cheek – you’ve got to be allowed to laugh at it!’ And I believe that’s what we accomplished.” Note: When “Our Last Ever Video” was released on DVD, the title was changed to “The Last Video”.

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The son of actor Ryan O’Neal and the late Farrah Fawcett has been charged with attempted murder in an alleged crime spree last month that included randomly attacking five men and robbing a 7-Eleven convenience store. Los Angeles police say Redmond O’Neal was charged Friday. KABC-TV reports that the 33-year-old O’Neal, who’s struggled with drug addiction, is charged with punching or stabbing five men over several days last month in the Venice Beach and Palms neighborhoods. Police say two men were seriously injured, including one who was stabbed in the face. O’Neal already pleaded not guilty to a May 8 robbery and other charges, including possessing methamphetamine and heroin. He’s been jailed for a month. An email seeking comment from his attorney wasn’t immediately returned.

Canada’s Senate on Thursday voted to legalize recreational marijuana, clearing a major hurdle that puts the country on track to become the first Group of Seven nation to permit national use of the drug. The upper chamber Senate voted 56-30 in favor of the legislation but included amendments that the House of Commons will need to decide on before the law can be passed. While there is not yet a definite date for when marijuana will be available for sale, the Senate was one of the last significant obstacles standing in the way of legalization as a number of Conservative senators oppose the bill. The amendments proposed by the Senate include tighter advertising restrictions and giving the provinces say over whether Canadians can grow marijuana at home. The government’s legislation would allow Canadians to grow up to four plants at home for personal use. Although legalization has already been delayed from the government’s initially planned July launch, some provinces and police forces have argued they need more time. The provinces have been left in charge establishing how and where marijuana will be sold. The Liberals, which made legalizing recreational use part of their successful 2015 election campaign, say the new law would keep marijuana out of the hands of underage users and reduce related crime. Canadian marijuana companies like Canopy Growth Corp, Aphria Inc, Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences ETF and Aurora Cannabis Inc have been at the center of investor frenzy surrounding attempts to legalize marijuana for recreational use nationwide.

Alan O’Neill, who played Hugh on “Sons of Anarchy,” has died, his manager Greg Meyer confirmed to Variety. He was 47. O’Neill’s body was discovered by his girlfriend in the hallway of their Los Angeles apartment on Wednesday night. According to TMZ, the Irish-born actor reportedly had a history of chronic heart problems and was a heavy smoker, in addition to struggling with a drinking problem. No foul play is suspected in the actor’s death. O’Neill is widely known for his role in the sixth and seventh seasons of Kurt Sutter’s hit FX series, but the actor’s career dates back to the ’90s. He also played the regular role of Keith McGrath in the drama series “Fair City” — set in the town of Carrigstown — from 2006 to 2012. Making his acting debut in the 1997 TV movie “Ballyseedy” as Captain Jim Clarke, O’Neill soon followed up with a run on the 2001 mini-series “Rebel Heart.” He also went on to star in the 2002 short “Strangers in the Night” as Tony, the psychotic ex-boyfriend, 2007’s “32A” as Paddy, 2009’s “Moore Street Masala” as Robert, and in the UK crime drama “Inspector George Gently” the same year. O’Neill also appeared on “Undercovers” in 2010 as well as “Shadow Dancer” and short “Invisible,” both in 2012. His most recent credits include the Captain in 2016’s “Urge,” in addition to his announced role as Pepper in the upcoming horror film “Charlie Lives: The Family’s Return.”

Hey, do you mind holding that orgasm for a moment? A shocking new survey has found that one in 10 people admit to checking their phones during sex. The research released by SureCall, a manufacturer of cellular signal boosters, surveyed 1,000 people. They also found that, among that 10 percent of phone-checkers, 43 percent are repeat offenders. Millennials, unsurprisingly, are the likeliest to give into the romp-disrupting habit. People in the 18-to-34 age group were found to be almost twice as likely to check their phone during hanky panky than 35-to-51-year-olds. While disheartening, this news isn’t too surprising, given that previous research has found that “phubbing,” or snubbing your partner for your phone, is on the rise. A 2015 study out of Baylor University in Texas found that nearly 46 percent of people in romantic relationships have been “phubbed.” Choosing your phone over your partner creates conflict and leads to lower levels of relationship satisfaction, and higher levels of depression, those researchers reported. Joan Collins has said (and written) that Shirley MacLaine's brother could talk on the phone whilst having (disgusting) heterosexual carnal relations with her.

Luck finally ran out recently for a plucky dog in Australia that became known for repeatedly chasing a crocodile back into the Adelaide River. The dog’s owner says a recent video shows that the croc “did what crocs do.” It ate the pooch. Kai Hansen, owner of the terrier, named Pippa, told Australia’s ABC Radio that the dog was performing her favorite trick for a group of onlookers at the Goat Island Lodge when the tragedy occurred. The video, captured by a spectator, shows the dog barking repeatedly while running directly at the massive reptile, before the crocodile, unfazed, whips its head back and snatches Pippa in its jaws. Screams can be heard in the background as the crocodile then retreats into the water with Pippa still in its mouth. “It was something that had a high probability of happening sometime,” Hansen told an interviewer. Hansen said he was “really sad” about losing his pet, but doesn’t blame the 220-pound, 11-foot-long crocodile for eating it, the Telegraph reported. Some social media users were quick to blame Hansen for allowing the dog to chase crocodiles in the first place. “Could the owner be next? Letting a dog taunt the croc puts the dog in avoidable danger,” one user tweeted, while another user simply called Hansen a “stupid dog owner.” Hansen argued that chasing the crocodile was just how the dog was wired. “A little terrier should not do things like that. But should I stop her? I don’t know, she got away with it for 10 years,” he said. Nonetheless, Hansen plans on getting a new dog, but this one will “definitely” not perform the same dangerous stunt, he said.

I'll never forget the headline of a review I read of the Barbra Strident-Kris Kristofferson version when it came out: A BORE IS STARRED.

An alligator roaming through a central Florida neighborhood head-butted a trapper, knocking him out cold in a last-ditch effort to escape. The incident which was caught on video caused quite a disturbance Tuesday along a residential street in Ocoee, which is near Orlando. Video from WKMG-TV shows a Florida Fish and Wildlife trapper putting the 8-foot gator in the back of a truck. The feisty, tied-up alligator lashed out and head-butted the trapper. The trapper fell to the ground as police and another trapper worked to get the gator back inside the truck. Neighbors say the alligator was walking through front yards before trappers arrived. There was no word on the trapper’s condition. The alligator was eventually taken away. A water baptism ceremony held near a lake turned into a horrific tragedy when the pastor was reportedly grabbed by a crocodile Sunday. Pastor Docho Eshete was baptizing at least 80 members of his Protestant congregation at Lake Abaya, in southern Ethiopia, an area known to have a huge crocodile population, when one of the creatures leaped out of the water and grabbed him. “He baptized the first person and he passed on to another one,” a local resident told the BBC. “All of a sudden, a crocodile jumped out of the lake and grabbed the pastor.” Docho died from injuries on his legs, back and hands despite efforts from the congregation, fishermen and residents trying to save him, policeman Eiwnetu Kanko said. The crocodile escaped as the group used fishing nets to prevent it from taking the pastor’s lifeless body.

Whilst driving thine pink cadillac?

Northern California voters on Tuesday recalled a judge from office after he sentenced a former Stanford University swimmer convicted of sexual assault to a short jail sentence instead of prison. Voters opted to oust Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky. The judge was targeted for recall in June 2016 shortly after he sentenced Brock Turner to six months in jail for sexually assaulting a young woman outside a fraternity house on campus. Prosecutors argued for a 7-year prison sentence. Turner is also required to register for life as a sex offender. He was released from jail for good behavior after serving three months. He now lives with his parents near Dayton, Ohio. The judge was following a recommendation from the county probation department, and the California Commission on Judicial Performance ruled that he handled the case legally. “Instead of taking time to heal, I was taking time to recall the night in excruciating detail, in order to prepare for the attorney’s questions that would be invasive, aggressive, and designed to steer me off course, to contradict myself, my sister, phrased in ways to manipulate my answers,” she read. Citing judicial ethics, Persky has declined to discuss the case in detail because Turner has appealed. But Persky told The Associated Press in an interview that he has no regrets over how he handled the case or his courtroom. Early returns showed Santa Clara County assistant district attorney Cindy Seeley Hendrickson leading in the race to replace the judge.

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